Where Demons Hide
by Argallel
Summary: "He's just feeding you lies. He can't wait to hurt you. He's already thought up the best way to make you scream. Listening to you scream is what he desires most." When life is at its lowest, and all hope is lost, what is there to do? Could you fight what you love?
1. Chapter 1

**Happy almost school's out, friends. Here's a little diddy I've been working on for just over a month now. And since I know so many people hate when I leave my stories unfinished, I wrote this entire story before I even thought of publishing it. So, here it is. I think I'll update every Thursday, just for the fun of it.**

**Enjoy. Feel free to express your joy with your words. :)**

* * *

_"I told you, no one gets it but me. And that's why I've been here for you this whole time. I'll protect you."_

Her phone started to ring again, but she ignored it. "He wants to hurt me. He doesn't love me."

_"That's right, he wants to hurt you. You know something? He loves to see you cry. He loves to watch you suffer. He lives for those days when you get hurt, and his only goal in life is to maim you as much as he can. And these women want to help him."_

The phone rang and rang in her hand until she could no longer focus on anything else. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.

"Answer the phone already!" The other woman shouted. "He wants to help you! Let him help you! Think of the children!"

_"The evil one has a good idea. Go for her children. If she wants to help hurt you, help steal your soul, hurt her first before she can get to you."_

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

* * *

_3 Hours Earlier…_

"Hey, Sarge, you seen Jules yet?" Sam asked. He'd come in early today, hoping to catch his secret girlfriend before anyone else was at work, but no such luck. As of 9:05am, no one had seen her. "I expected her to be in by now."

Greg looked up from his paperwork, wrinkles of concern fluttering around his eyes. "She called in sick," he said, although somewhat hesitantly.

"Sick?" Sam gave Greg 'the look'. "What do you mean, sick?"

Greg licked his lips, an unreadable expression crossing over his face. But just as quickly as the look appeared, it was gone again, a smile replacing it. "Come on, Sam. Do you really think she's skipping?" He picked up the papers he was signing. "She doesn't do that."

Sam pursed his lips as a response, not wanting to talk back to his boss. "Okay, then," he said, "I'll just go hit the gym."

"Good idea, Sam."

With a sigh, Sam walked out of the conference room right into the gym/meeting area. "What's up?" he asked his fellow team members.

"Not much," Ed answered, sweat dripping off his bald head. "But Sofie felt the baby kick for the first time last night."

"Yeah you did!" Wordy pumped his free arm in the air in appreciation. Having two daughters yourself made you really excited for others' kids. "How far along is she now?"

But before Ed could answer, there was a loud yelp from the corner. "Holy crap! Ow!"

"What the hell man?" Wordy looked over at Spike, who was lying in a slightly crumpled heap at the bottom of a treadmill. "How much did you drink last night?" He asked. "I mean, sure, I know how it was after yesterday, but come on!"

"Nothing-ow-I swear!" Spike managed to untangle his arms from his torso. "I just tripped over my damn shoelace," he said as he yanked his shoe off. "Dammit."

Greg stuck his head out the door of the meeting room. "See, I can tell without even asking that Jules isn't here yet," he said with a grin. "She would be kicking your butt so hard for swearing."

Spike grinned back at his boss, now on his feet. "Yeah, I know. She really gets on my case about that." He paused to look around him. His face took on what could be considered an almost worried look. "Where is Jules, anyways?"

"Sick," Sam called out from his position on an elliptical. "And she must be damn sick to miss a day."

Ed cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the language that the men were using without Jules around. "Boys! Clear the language! We still got Winnie to impress!" He motioned towards the young woman sitting behind the front desk. "Isn't the right, Winnie?"

"Yes, sir," she answered, a smile breaking out on her beautiful face.

Ed gave her a smile back. "See that, boys?" he asked. "Winnie here wants impressing. So take off your sailor hat and put on your military cap." He pointed towards the equipment room. "Weapons drills! Loser buys the first round tonight!"

"Bet you I'll beat you this time, Sam," Spike said almost menacingly. Although, with his stature and demeanor, it was hard to be scared of him.

Sam gave him a look. "Care to bet $5 on that?" he asked.

Spike paused momentarily, his eyes narrowing. "No gambling in the workplace, Braddock."

"You just know I'll beat you again," Sam teased. "That's all." He sped up his pace to make sure he was first to the equipment room. "I've seen you bet with Sarge before."

"Hey, not true!" Greg protested. He slipped into the room beside Sam and grabbed his clipboard. "Who's up first?"

"I'll go first, Sarge." Wordy put his hand up in the air as an offering. "If I do it first, I can't feel as if I've already lost to the _pros._" He said the last part of the sentence almost disgustedly. Sam knew he was being referred to, but showed nothing on his face about it.

_"Team one, gear up! Hot call! Hot call! Armed suspect with multiple hostages, 152 Barrydale Road."_

Greg waved his hand. "Let's keep the peace, people!"

"Sarge-" Sam started to talk to Greg, but was cut off by someone handing him his rubber-bullet riffle.

Greg turned to face him, a slightly rushed look on his face. "Ed, take a car, you too, Wordy. Sam, ride with me. We can talk then."

"Boss, you gotta know, now."

"What is it?"

Sam looked at his boss, his features in almost a state of panic. "That's Jules' house. I know why she called in sick. She's been taken hostage."

* * *

Jules sniffled as she readjusted her grip on the gun. She was sweating, but didn't notice in her state of mind. Rather, who was there with her. When he was there, she couldn't think. He was her only thought, the only thing allowed to be in her mind. She hadn't made up that rule. He had.

_"Julianna, look at these people. They don't love you. I love you."_

"Please, just- just let us go." One woman cowered in the corner, her arm around her little boy. He cried silently into his mother's hoodie. "I-we, didn't do anything! What do you want with us?"

"Shut-up," Jules whispered, blinking rapidly. She couldn't take it all in. There was too much going on around her. "Just shut-up."

Another mother pulled her two girls closer to her. "Don't cry," she crooned to them. "You know how we play pretend sometimes?" She stroked one of her girls' hair. "This is kind of like that. Can we be really quiet and still? Just like a mouse?"

Jules breathed unevenly at the sight of the mother comforting her kids. "I-I told you to be quiet," she said, pointing her gun at the two kids.

_"Make them be quiet. They want to hurt you. They've been watching you for months. Every mistake, every little hesitation. Now, you need to silence them."_

"Please, I-"

"Shut-up!" Jules yelled, her voice cracking. She waved the gun around the air. It was almost as if she hadn't realized it was a gun. "I told you to be quiet and you didn't listen!" She paused to catch her breath, even though she couldn't in her panicked state. "He wants you to be quiet!"

The first woman with the boy gave her a frightened look. "There's no one here but us," she whispered. "Can't you see that? There's no one here but us! Let us go!"

_"She's wrong, Julianna. They ignore us because we're too special for them. They're scared of me. They know I can protect you and that scares them."_

Jules lifted the hand with the gun in it to her head, not in a suicidal way, but rather in a confused way. She tried to wipe away the sweat that had accumulated, but to no avail. "I don't-I don't know," she said softly. "I-I can't-"

_"It's okay, Jules. I'll help you get rid of these murders. I know they took your soul. I'll help you get it back."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey friends! It's Thursday again, and I can't wait to share this next part of my story with you! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, and followed. You guys make me happy. :)**

* * *

Simultaneously, all four SRU vehicles pulled to a stop outside Jules' house. Greg hopped out of his vehicle and slammed the door shut, quickly making his way to the back of the car for his gun. "Guys, this is Jules we're talking about. Maximum caution."

"Got it, boss," Ed said as he also grabbed his gun out of the back of his car. "Wordy, get us eyes. Sam, you and I will check the perimeter, see if we can hear anything."

"And I'll get you Jules' phone number, boss," Spike said through the headset.

"Okay, you get that to me, and fast." Greg pulled out his phone as he heard Spike proclaim he'd got it. "Okay, Spike, since we're down two members, you'll have to be my second. Got that?"

"Copy, boss."

Greg quickly dialed the number on his phone. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath until it tumbled out as he heard a click on the other end of the phone. "This is Greg Parker with the SRU. Who am I speaking to?"

Nothing.

He tried again. "I just need to know if everyone's alright in there." Again, nothing. "Hello?"

"He loves me."

Everyone stopped as they heard the voice that came over Greg's cellphone. It wasn't Sam that was shocked the most, though. It was Greg himself. He was momentarily swept off his rocker at the sound of Jules' voice at the end of the line.

"Jules," he said quickly. "Jules, what's going on in there?"

"I can't-he loves me. You're going to hurt me. He wants me safe."

Ed, already over the shock of hearing Jules sound so afraid, waved Sam over to a nearby window. He himself headed to another one, hoping to get a visual.

"No joy," Sam whispered into his headset. "All the blinds are closed."

"Same here," Ed whispered. "Wordy, you got a way for eyes to go in?"

"I'm thinking we can put one through a window." Wordy stood up from his crouched position and pulled out his infrared camera. "Let me just locate exactly where they are…" His eyes narrowed. "Ed, you're on the blue wall, right?"

"Yes, are they over here?"

"Yup."

Sam, who had moved to beside Ed, pulled out his own camera and turned it on. On the screen could be seen five people in one area, and one in another. "Okay, Sarge, we got five hostages and…" Pause. "..and Jules."

"Copy that." Greg peered towards the house. "Okay, Ed, can you and Sam get a camera in there? I'm going to see if I can get more out of Jules."

"Doing it as we speak."

Greg pushed the button on his radio headset to turn it back onto Jules again. "Hey, Jules, why don't you just come out so we can talk? That's all I want to do. I promise I won't hurt you."

"No! No, I can't-I-I can't!"

"Jules, calm down. Why can't you?" he asked. It physically hurt him to hear how Jules sounded. It hit him right in the heart. She sounded so afraid, in so much pain that she was confused. Right now, though, Greg knew he had to be focused on getting the hostages out safely, not his team member. "Are you being threatened?"

No response.

"Jules, you there?"

"Spike, the camera's in." Sam stared in shock at the screen in front of him. "You getting this?" He couldn't really believe it.

Spike nodded, even though no one could see him since he was in the command truck. "Yeah, yeah, I'm getting this. I'll upload it to your PDA's." His fingers flew over the keyboard. "Boss, you seeing this?"

Greg pulled out his PDA, although somewhat hesitantly. What he saw on his screen made his heart crack. Jules, with her handgun, holding two mothers and three children hostage. But it wasn't so much the hostages he was concerned about now.

Jules was sweating and pale. She kept looking to her left as if someone was there, but there was no one. Her grip on the gun was unsteady and her whole body trembled with, well, with what? Exhaustion? Fright? Greg wasn't sure.

"Sarge-" Ed started.

Greg quickly cut him off. "I know, I know, I'm seeing this too." He paused, only to realize the connection to Jules had been severed. He could see on his screen that she'd dropped the phone. "Ed, tactics. I can't get anything out of her on the phone."

"I don't want to scare her," Ed said firmly, "and since she's not doing anything right now, I don't think immediate entry is required. But," he added on, "we can't use flashbangs or CS gas because kids are involved."

"So what does that leave us with?"

Ed bit his lip, a habit he used to have, but thought he'd managed to kick. "I'm thinking we try to get a bit more out of her, maybe poke around and see if we can get the names of the hostages and why she took them specifically." He looked at Sam. "If she escalates, we'll go in quietly through the back-"

"-And try not to spook," Greg answered. "I'll try to make contact again. Spike, as soon as any names are mentioned, you search 'em up."

"Copy that, boss."

Greg picked up his cellphone again, and made sure it was forwarded into the headset so everyone could hear. Quickly, he pressed redial. "Hey, Jules," he said softly when she picked up. "Do you think we could talk about what's going on in there?"

"Don't hurt me, please!"

Greg swallowed thickly. "Not going to hurt you, Jules, promise." He opened the door to the command truck and walked in, hoping to watch Jules while he spoke to her. "I just want to know what's going on in there, make sure everyone's safe."

"I can't-I-I-"

"Can't what, Jules? Can I help you with something?"

"Leave me alone! Don't hurt me!"

* * *

Jules switched the gun to her other hand. He was so close to her. She could feel his breath tickling her ear, and it sent little jolts down her spine. "Why doesn't he understand?" she asked him. "Why doesn't he get it?"

"There's no one there!" one woman yelled. "It's just you, and us! Go get yourself some help or something!"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Jules took her free hand and began to beat it against her head. "He doesn't understand! Why would he understand? Stupid idiot!"

_"I told you, Julianna. No one gets it but me. And that's why I've been here for you this whole time. I'll protect you."_

Jules' phone started to ring again, but she ignored it. "He wants to hurt me. He doesn't love me."

_"That's right, he wants to hurt you. You know something, Julianna? He loves to see you cry. He loves to watch you suffer. He lives for those days when you get hurt, and his only goal in life is to maim you as much as he can. And these women want to help him."_

The phone rang and rang in Jules' hand until she could no longer focus on anything else. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.

"Answer the phone already!" The other woman shouted. "He wants to help you! Let him help you! Think of the children!"

_"The evil one has a good idea. Go for her children. If she wants to help hurt you, help steal your soul, hurt her first before she can get to you."_

"I'm sorry," Jules whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Haha, so this story is going to be fun. You guys have no idea just how excited I am every time I proofread a chapter to send out here. I know it's kind of creepy, but hey, it's different.**

**Do enjoy... :D**

* * *

Greg's eyes widened as Jules hit herself in the head. "Alright, team, she's escalating. I'm worried about her hurting herself right now. She doesn't seem too preoccupied with the hostages. Can you make your way in quietly?"

"There's a back door," Ed said as he waved Sam over. "We'll get in through the back, but won't let her know our position yet."

"Good idea," Greg said grimly. "We haven't got sound, and that's what we really need right now. I need to know who these people are, and why Jules wants them."'

Sam nodded in agreement. "Got it. I'll place a mic in as close as I can." He grabbed out a small, thin piece of circular metal out his pocket. Leaning over, he jabbed it into the door knob and twisted. Within seconds, the door was open. "Making our way in."

"Copy that, Sam." Greg pocketed his cell. "I can't establish contact. Spike, anything yet?"

"On what?" Spike asked Greg, turning to look at him. "We don't have any information. We know Jules. And that's really all the information we have in this situation."

Greg exhaled somewhat dejectedly. "Okay, but I think now we need more. I'm looking for any medications she's on, any past hospitalizations, juvenile priors-"

"Looking into it now." Spike said this with some regret in his voice. He'd known Jules for so long, and now, doing this, he felt as if he was prying. Prying into what, he didn't know, but it made him uncomfortable either way. "Okay, here we go. She's on two meds."

"And they are?"

"One is Cyclafem and the other is Prolixin."

"Okay, okay," Greg said. "Can you look those up? I'm not familiar with either of them."

Spike continued typing on the van's keyboard. "Already on it." A window popped up on the screen, and Greg recognized it as the local hospital's drug database. Spike typed in the first drug, Cyclafem, into the search bar. "Well, the first one is a contraceptive."

Greg nearly winced. Of course, he was glad Jules was being safe, but on the other hand, well, he just didn't want to think about it. "And the other one?"

"Give me a second." Spike typed the second drug, Prolixin, into the search bar and pressed search. Moments later, he let out a shaky breath. "Okay, got it." He paused, not sure how to say it.

"Well, what is it?"

"It's an antipsychotic, Sarge," Spike said as he ran a hand through his short, brown hair. "Most commonly used to treat Paranoid Schizophrenia." He typed something else into the computer. "If she's on this, she almost certainly went, or still goes, to a psychiatrist. I'll try to get you a number."

"Guys, you hearing this?" Sarge asked into his headset.

"Copy that," came a few different voices.

Ed kept talking. "Alright, so we're dealing with an unstable, possibly violent woman who is off her meds. We need an in to her thoughts so we can come up with a way to reason with or comfort her." He quietly opened the back door that he, Sam, and Wordy had opened. "Heading in, boss."

"Copy that," Greg said. "I'm going to see if I can get a hold of her therapist, or whomever, and see if we can get some information out of them."

Ed waved Sam through the doorway, then Wordy. "Alright, we're in." He peered around a corner. "Okay, we have eyes." He paused to take a deep breath. "It doesn't look good. She seems out of it. She's talking to someone to her left, a hallucination maybe?"

Sam so badly wanted to step in there and just hug Jules, but he knew it would be bad. She had a gun. She could, maybe even would, shoot him or one of the hostages. "Placing a mic," he whispered.

Instantly, Greg could hear everything that was going on in the room through his head set. While he may not have been able to speak directly to Jules, at least he could monitor the situation a little more closely now. "Good. I'm just on the phone with her therapist now, so give me a minute."

"Copy that."

Greg put his cell phone back to his ear. "Thanks for holding, Dr. Lofton," he said somewhat tiredly.

"Oh, no problem. What can I help you with?"

"I'm Sargent Greg Parker with the Stratigic response Unit," he replied, "and I'm looking for anything you know about Jullianna Callaghan." When he heard nothing on the other end of the phone, Greg frowned. "Dr. Lofton?"

There was an audible sigh. "Look, I can't release information about anyone, no matter who you say you are."

Greg closed his eyes momentarily. "Okay, Dr. Lofton, right now Jules-er, Jullianna, is holding five people hostage in her home." He paused to let the information sink in. "We're looking for some answers. We already know she was on antipsychotics, but she seems to be off them currently."

"What? Uh, sorry, that caught me off guard."

"Yeah, us too," he said mournfully. "Were you aware that Jules was off her meds?"

"I haven't seen her much in the last few years," Dr. Lofton said breathily. "She said her job was too demanding to come and speak with me all the time. Personally, I thought if she was under that much stress, she should be talking to me more, not less. Last time I saw her was four months ago, and although she seemed frazzled, she definitely wasn't off her meds."

Greg sighed. "If she was off her meds, do you know what might be going through her head?" he asked. "Did she have any recurring delusions?"

"Not really, no." Pause. "Can you tell me what she's doing?"

"She's talking to someone on her left who isn't there," he said, "and she's been saying about how he-and no, I don't know who he is-loves her and that she doesn't want us to hurt her."

"Has she been hurt by you guys at all in the past? A bruise from being punched in the arm? Anything?"

Greg faltered slightly. Hurt Jules? Why would anyone do that? "No, not that I can think of." He paused. "Wait, she's saying something. Hold on."

"I'm so sorry," Jules whispered. "I love him, and you want to hurt me. You're with Greg Parker. He likes it when I get hurt. He likes to see me cry. Sorry."

_*Bang*_

"Shot fired! Shot fired!" Ed leapt into the room. "Put your hands up! Let me see some hands!"

Sam also went into the living room, his gun steadily trained on Jules. "Jules, what did you just do?" he whispered to himself. He could hear children whimpering behind him, and his SRU senses kicked in. "Anyone hurt?" he asked turning around. He was greeted by five pairs of scared eyes, and a bullet hole in the wall. "She missed, Sarge."

"Good, good…Sam!"

Sam backed away from Jules slowly. "I know, boss." He gently put his gun on the floor, keeping one eye on Jules as he did. Ed and Wordy crept up behind him, keeping their own guns pointed at Jules. "Jules, hey," he said. "How about we put the gun down so we can talk?"

Greg picked up the cell phone again. "Sorry, she fired a shot."

"Is-"

"Yes, luckily she missed." Greg rubbed his forehead. "But Dr. Lofton, please, if you know anything, now is the time to tell us." He took a deep breath. "Jules has the gun against her head."


	4. Chapter 4

**Yup, so, this was posted a little later today than usual, but don't get mad. See, I'm working at a camp, and honestly, it's tiring. Not to mention I'm gone all day, so I had to post this later. But hey, it should be just as good.**

**Thanks in advance for your reviews. Do enjoy. :)**

* * *

"Jules, listen to me, we won't hurt you."

_"Share it with him, Julianna. I bet Sam wants to know our poem. Want to share it with him?"_

"Jules, Julianna, we can talk, alright? That's all I want to do. Can you tell me what's going on?"

_"He's lying, Jules. All he wants to do is to hurt you and take you away. We might never even see each other again if he does that. I love you. Sam doesn't."_

"Please, just put the gun down."

_"He's working with Greg. He just wants to hurt you. I won't let them hurt you. Death is the only option now. Otherwise, they'll torture you."_

Sam took a deep breath. "Jules, look at me." When she made no indication that she'd heard him, he tried again, only louder. "Jules! Look me in the eye!"

"It's the only option," she whispered. "I have to be safe. He loves me and wants to keep me safe. It's the only option."

Seeing the lull in Jules' occupation with the hostages, Wordy quickly motioned for them to get up. "Okay, okay, follow me quietly," he said to the mothers and children. "We'll get you safely outside. You're safe now, alright?"

_"Jules, he's taking away the evils. He wants to give them more information, help them hurt you. He's read your file. He knows how to hurt you, and he wants them to go away so he can do it himself."_

"No!" Jules lowered her gun to Wordy's height. "Bring them back! Don't tell them anything! I won't let you!" She tried to readjust her grip on the gun, but almost dropped it. Her whole body shook with the effort. "I won't let them."

"Jules, it's alright." Sam glanced behind him at Ed, who still had his gun trained on her. Sam sighed with relief, though, when he realized Ed had his non-lethal weapon out. "They're not going to hurt you. I won't either, promise."

_"He's just feeding you lies, Julianna. He can't wait to hurt you. He's already thought up the best way to make you scream. Listening to you scream is what he desires most."_

"Sam, you gotta get through to her."

Sam nodded, hoping Greg and Spike could see it over the camera. "Jules, we need to let them go. They need to get out and be safe, alright?"

Jules tried to speak, but nothing came out. She felt dizzy, hot, confused. "I-I need them." She took one hand off the gun and placed it against her forehead. "They know. They know about you and Greg."

"What about me and Greg?"

"You like to hear me scream," Jules whispered. "Sarge likes to see me suffering and crying. His only goal is to hurt me." She began to hit herself again. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" As fast as she had changed emotions, the gun was back on her temple, death looming.

Sam raised his hands towards her. "Jules, hey, hey, Jules," he said in his best soothing voice. "You need to calm down, alright?" He paused, looked at Ed behind him, then tried again. "How about you and I have a little talk, alright? Why do you think I want to hear you scream?"

"Gentle, Sam, don't get her agitated again."

_"Jules, you told him too much. I can read his thoughts. He's thinking about Ed shooting you, and how much he'll enjoy the scream you make. How much he'll like watching your crimson blood spill out of your body, staining your carpet. He'll treasure that moment forever."_

"Don't hurt me," Jules begged.

Sam gave her a weary look, one filled with pain and sorrow. "No, no, Jules, I won't. All I need you to do is put down your gun, so we can talk. I want to know what's going on with you."

_"I'm warning you now as a friend, Julianna, that all Sam wants is to get to know you personally so when you die he gets more pleasure out of it. Watch out."_

"Sam, that gun needs to come out of her hand. Eddie, something needs to be done, and it needs to be done now." Greg scratched his jaw. "Kids are out of there. Masks on and CS Gas her."

Sam clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Two more minutes, boss," he pleaded. "I know I can connect to her. Just give me more time."

"Sam, the gun is to her head. She's hallucinating. We don't have time to spare!"

Ed nodded in agreement, still not moving the gun pointed at Jules. "Sam, she's a big danger, not only to herself, but to us, as well." He paused to collect his thoughts. "She had the gun on Wordy and the kids, just like that. Granted, she wasn't concentrating on them, but she's still dangerous. She has the gun pointed at her _head_, Sam, her head."

"Jules, hey, please," Sam said softly to her. "Just put the gun down. I'll even move back. I just want to help you, find out what's bothering you."

_"He's the one that's bothering you, Julianna. Stop him. You have to stop him or I'll stop you."_

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

_*Bang**Bang*_

"Shots fired! Shots fired!" Ed pelted Jules with rubber bullets. "Officer down!"

_ *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*_

Spike looked on at the screen in horror. "Camera was hit, we can't see anything." He stood up abruptly. "Sarge?"

"Eddie! Sam! What's going on in there?" Greg also looked on at the screen, a mirroring look of horror on his face. "Who was hit?"

"I'm good, good," Sam said breathlessly. "It hit my vest." He winced. "No real damage." His face turned from a grimace into a look of desperation, though, when he saw Jules. Ed had tried to handcuff her, but Jules had managed not to drop the gun, even when hit with many rubber bullets. "Ed," he warned.

"I know," Ed said. He stepped back slightly. Jules was sitting on the ground now, knees drawn up to her chest, gun still up against her head. "The hell did she not drop it?" He shook his head. "Hey, Jules, I'm just going to take that gun now, alright?"

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked.

Ed held up a hand in a surrender-like position. "Not going to touch you if you don't want me to, Jules." He slung his riffle behind his back and crouched down beside her. "I won't hurt you, promise."

_"He wants to hurt you. He's lying to you so you won't see it coming. Then, when you least expect, wham! You're dead. He'll slit your throat."_

"My blood will spill," Jules said quietly. "My life will drain by the hands of Ed. I will scream and Sam will laugh. Sarge will smile at my pain."

Ed's eyebrows dipped. "Jules." He so badly wanted to hug her. He had always felt like she was such a younger sister to him, one he had to protect. Now, he didn't know how to. "Jules, I would never do that to you."

_"Liar liar, pants on fire."_

"Sarge, what do we do?" Sam leant up against the living room wall and tried not to wince. Even with a bulletproof vest on, bullets hurt. He was pretty sure he'd cracked a rib or two. "She's not responsive."

Greg rubbed his face. "Ed, Sam, get out of there. You're just agitating her," he said, looking to Spike who nodded in agreement. "We'll talk tactics then. I'm thinking we just gas her."

"Right, got it." Ed waved to Sam, who hesitantly backed out of the room. "Hey, Jules? We're going to leave you alone now, alright? I won't hurt you, promise. Just going to back out slowly." He put his hands up in the air and headed out backwards. "Just leaving now."

Jules didn't answer. She kept the gun pressed to her head, her body rocking back and forth, back and forth, almost as if being rocked by an invisible demon. She looked so vulnerable, knees up against her chest and head rested upon them. It hurt every member of the team. How could they have missed this? How could they have missed that Jules was breaking?


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry guys. I accidentally posted the same chapter again. Woops.**

**Here.**

**Do actually enjoy this time. :)**

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Spike leaned back against the back of his chair and sighed.

Greg gave him a look. "Something wrong, Spike?" he asked, an edge to his voice.

"Yeah, something's wrong, what do you think?" Spike stood up suddenly, upsetting his chair. He took no notice, though, just paced around the small van. "You saw her, Sarge, you saw her. How did we miss that? Jules was cracking right underneath us, and we didn't even notice!"

Greg sighed. "Well aware of that, Spike, but we have to stay objective."

"Objective?" Spike stopped suddenly and glared at Greg. "How the hell am I supposed to stay objective?" he asked. "That's Jules, boss, that's Jules. Wordy just had to secure her hostages. Ed just had to try to shoot her. Sam was just shot by her." He paused to take a breath. Somehow, he ended up slamming his fist down on the desk. "Boss, Jules could _kill _herself right now, and all because we failed to even give her the time of day. How am I supposed to stay objective?"

Sam spoke over the headset. "Spike, dude, we're all going through this." He sounded out of breath, and Spike could tell he was in pain. "But you know what? Getting upset for sure isn't going to help her, and I know that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Spike said quietly. "Gotta keep the peace."

Greg gave him an encouraging smile. "And you know that doesn't just mean we keep the peace within the public and private sector." He patted his heart, smiling even prouder. "We keep the peace within ourselves, buddy."

Spike swallowed hard and dropped his head slightly. "Got it, Sarge." He sat back down at his computer. "So…"

Just then Sam opened the door to the van. "Out here, Sarge," he said in a forced, light tone. "And unless you want us all to squeeze in there to talk, you better come out here." An easy smile played across his lips, but Greg could see it was just for show.

"Spike," Greg said as a dismissal. He stepped outside of the van into the fresh morning air, and briefly wondered how _this _could have happened on such a nice morning. "Okay, first thing's first." He turned to Sam. "Are you hurt?"

Sam waved his arm offhandedly. "Just a cracked rib or two," he said. "It's no big deal. We need to deal with this, first."

Greg, who usually would have called EMS himself, hesitantly nodded in agreement. "Alright, good." He turned to face Wordy and Ed. "I'm thinking CS gas, boys. We need to get her out safely, and she's past talking."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Ed agreed. "Wordy, you take the front door, Sam and I'll take the back door." He pulled out his phone and turned it on so he could see the map of the interior of Jules' house. "See how there are 3 entrances to the living room? Wordy, get to the front one. Sam, you take the side and I'll go directly to the back."

"Got it." Wordy grabbed his belt to make sure he still had a canister of gas in it. "One through each door?"

Ed nodded. "One through each door. This sound okay, Sarge?"

"Yeah, yeah," Greg said, "this is good. Sounds like a plan." He glanced backwards at the van. "We lost the camera in the spray of rubber bullets, so right now we're flying blind. We still have sound, but we won't be able to see what's happening in there." He paused to give all three men very stern looks. "Keep her safe, boys."

"We'd never hurt her intentionally, Sarge," Sam said, "Just got to remember the Priority of Life. First, hostages, second, uniforms, third, suspects." He paused. "Unfortunately."

Wordy grimaced as he heard Jules' babble something over his headset. "Guys," he said quickly. "CS gas, Jules. We gotta go now. She's escalating."

"Let's keep the peace, boys!" Ed headed over towards the house, Sam close behind. They had left the back door ajar so they could just slip back in.

Wordy peered around the doorway into the living room. "In position," he whispered as he slipped his mask over his face.

"Copy that," Ed answered, he himself grabbing his canister of gas. He pulled his mask over his own face. "Sam, you good to go?" Pause, no answer. "Sam, are you good to go?"

Sam stood at the side door. He watched Jules. She sat there, shaking violently, twisting herself around and around. She still had the gun to her head and it pained him. No, it didn't just pain him, it murdered him. How had he missed this? He was dating her, for goodness sake! Even though she hadn't told him about her schizophrenia, he should have noticed what was going on. He should have noticed she was cracking.

With a concerned look, Greg tried to get Sam on the line. "Sam, you okay, buddy?"

"Hm?" Sam snapped out of his daze. With one last longing look at Jules, he grabbed his canister of CS gas and yanked a mask over his face. "In position."

Ed focused his eyes. "In three, two, one," he counted down, "go! Police!" He threw the canister into the room. "Police! Exit with your hands up! We're coming in!"

Instantly, the living room filled with gas. The sound of coughing filled the air as Jules dropped her gun. Clatter. She toppled over as every breath she took she felt dizzier and more lightheaded. She couldn't see around her, but she could hear them.

_"You've failed. They've come for you. The gas? Yeah, it's deadly. They decided to kill you this way and make it look like an accident."_

"Police! You're under arrest!"

Jules felt her arms being thrown behind her. She felt the cool metal of handcuffs around her wrists and she wondered if she really was going to die.

_"Then everyone will feel sorry for them, losing their partner in a freak accident. They won't even be sorry that you died, but sorry for the ones left to pick up your mess."_

Ed tried to pull Jules to her feet. They didn't want her in the gassy room for longer than she had to be, but Jules was just deadweight. "Sam, she's gone deadweight!" He leant down and nestled his hands under her armpits. "Grab her legs! We need to carry her out!"

"Got it!" Sam bent down and grabbed Jules' legs. "And…lift!" With a slight grunt, Ed and Sam lifted, and Jules swung up into the air, coughing subsiding. "Wordy! Clear us a path!"

"Front door's opening now!" Wordy yelled.

_"Can you feel the swinging? That's your soul leaving your body. They've accomplished their task. Instead of you getting rid of the spies, they got you. Game over."_

Greg ran up to Sam and Ed as they carried Jules out of her house. "Ed, she okay?" He motioned for them to set her down a few metres away from the house. "I heard she went deadweight. Where's the gun?"

"Wordy's getting it." Sam bent down beside Jules. "Hey, Jules, can you hear me?" When she made no indication that she could hear him, he stood up again. "Boss, we should be calling EMS, not taking her away ourselves. She needs help."

Greg nodded in agreement. "Already done," he said. He bent down beside his fallen comrade. "Hey, Jules, it's Greg." He swept a piece of her fringe out of her closed eyes, the leant behind her to undo her handcuffs. "Jules, come on, I know when you're awake. I know you that well."

"Please don't hurt me," she said quietly, her voice raw from the gas. "Don't hurt me!"

"No, no, I won't hurt you, I promise." Greg leant back a little to give her some room. "I just want to make sure you're okay, Jules. I want to help you."

_"Hear that? He wants to 'help' you. He wants to help you disappear. Remember what I said? Greg is the one who likes to cause you pain, likes to watch you cry. And see Sam over there? He's going to laugh when you scream and cry. He's going to find it funny and he will laugh forever and ever."_

Jules tried to wave _him_ away. His breath tickled her ear and she cried out, hands flying to her ears. "Go away, go away!" she cried. "Stop it! I won't die, I won't!"

"Jules, hey, Julianna," Greg said quietly. "It's just me, see?" He gently cupped her face with his hands, glad when she didn't resist. "It's just me, see? Look into my eyes. It's just you and me."

She looked down slightly, then at him. Her hands fell to her sides. "You like to see me in pain," she whispered. "You're Greg. You like it when I cry. Your happiness comes from my pain."

_"That's right, Jules. Greg is lying to you. He's not the only one here with you. Can't you see the snipers? He's trying to divert your attention, get you distracted so he can call Scorpio. And when he does, he'll smile at the blood spilling out of your broken body."_

Greg winced. Even as a trained negotiator who'd thought he'd heard everything, he hadn't. Sure, people hurled insults at him all the time, but this was different. This was Jules. Jules wasn't even trying to hurt him, she was just speaking what she thought was the truth. And that's what hurt him the most. She honestly thought he enjoyed seeing her cry, seeing her in pain. "Yes, my name is Greg," he said encouragingly. "But look into my eyes, Jules. It's just us. No one else is here."

"He's here," she said as she looked around.

Greg shook his head. He had to try with all his might not to get emotional. He couldn't. He had to help her. "No, no, Julianna." He let go of her face but still kept his eyes steady upon her. "Please, I don't want to hurt you. I smile when you smile, laugh when you laugh."

"No, no, that's not true." Jules shook her head fervently. She was confused. She didn't know what to believe. "He-he said you like to hurt me."

Greg bit his lip. "I would never hurt you," he whispered fiercely. Then, with a look of pain, he leant over and captured the smaller woman in his arms. "I would _never_ hurt you."

Thick tears streamed down Jules' face. She rocked in Greg's arms, and for a moment, she remembered what security felt like. "Promise?"

"Forever and ever."


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh geez, I may have written this story a long time ago, but I cried again when I proofread it. I hope this elicits the same kind of emotion in you guys as it did in me.**

**For you Jam shippers, this is kind of Jammy. Well, it's really focused on how much the whole team loves Jules in general. If you want a real Jam romance moment, you'll have to wait.**

**Thanks for reviewing!**

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Sam drove silently, his hands tight around the wheel. He didn't look at Greg who sat beside him, even though Sam knew he was being watched. "I'm fine," he said through a fairly tight jaw. "You don't need to be analyzing me."

"I won't do anything you don't want me to do." Greg folded his hands on his lap. "You know that, Sam."

"I'm not one of your psychopathic, gun wielding subjects." Sam's face was hard set as he tried not to show how he was feeling. It hurt, but he wouldn't show it. Not here, not in front of Greg, not ever. "You don't have to do anything. I'm fine."

"We just responded to a pretty traumatic call," Greg said, "and it's not just you I'm worried about." He leaned back against the seat and sighed, a deep sigh that filled the whole car. "We had to see Jules in her most vulnerable state."

Sam didn't respond. He didn't know how to respond. When you see your girlfriend with a gun, threatening to shoot you, it hurts. You become speechless. "Yeah."

"Yeah?" Greg turned his head slightly so that he could see Sam. "That's all you have to say? "Yeah?""

"What do you want me to say, Sarge?" Sam said loudly as he drove down the road. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel, but Greg didn't flinch. "Dammit! Do you want me to tell you what's going on? She's my girlfriend, Sarge, and I didn't even notice! I spend every waking minute with her, and I didn't notice anything was wrong!" He slammed his hand against the steering wheel again. "I had to point my gun at her today. If she had moved that gun even a bit more, I would have had to shoot her dead!"

Greg's eyes fell as he listened to Sam rant. Knowing how hard this was on him, he'd thought he'd known how hard it might have been on Sam, but he was wrong. He thought Sam would have kept it together, but he didn't. "Sam, I-"

"You what?" Sam laughed humorlessly. "You want to help me?" He paused. "You should have helped Jules. You're the main negotiator. You always pick up on our problems. So why didn't you pick up on this one?" The last few words of his sentence became thick with unshed tears. "Why didn't you pick up on Jules?"

"I don't know," Greg said. He looked down at his hands. "We all missed it, Sam." The car became silent as they drove, each man wondering what he could have done differently. "But it's over now. The only thing we can do is be supportive of her."

Sam didn't reply. He didn't know what to say. "I know," he stated simply.

"Mhm." Greg toyed around with his hands. "Hey, Eddie?"

"Yeah, boss?"

Greg paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "I've got a roast on in the crockpot. You and the team want to come over?" He held his breath. He knew the team should be together at a time like this. He looked over at Sam, who sat in the driver's seat, stony faced.

Ed glanced over at his empty passenger seat, where Jules would normally be sitting. "Yeah, that would be good," he said. "I'll call Sofie to let her know." He didn't finish his sentence, but Greg knew he wasn't talking about telling Sofie about dinner at Greg's.

"You coming, Sam?" Greg looked over at the newest member of his team. "Have a piece with your name on it."

Sam slowly shook his head. "Her family's too far away," he said quietly. "She needs someone, even if it's only me." His jaw clenched. "Like you said, I can't change the past, but I sure can be there for her now. I need to be there for her."

"I got it, buddy." Greg sighed. There was a pregnant pause before either of them spoke again. "You know, Sam, don't beat yourself up. You made all the right calls out there. You kept to the Priority of Life Code, even when your loved one was breaking down, threating others with a gun." He paused. "I'm proud of you, Sam, real proud."

Sam swallowed thickly as he tried not to cry. "Thanks, boss."

"You did good out there today, Sam." Spike steered the large command truck around a corner. "It was hard on all of us, but you kept it together, man, even when I couldn't."

Wordy looked over at his own empty passenger seat, a lone tear trickling down his face. For once, he was glad he was alone in the car. He was a family man, and to see Jules like that, the woman he thought of as another daughter? It hurt. "We all tried our best," he contributed. "We all stuck to what we knew. Sometimes, you just gotta do it."

"I did what I had to do," Sam said, "and I appreciate you guys for letting me know that." He paused. "I'm just mad we didn't see this sooner. How could we miss it?" He glanced down at his hands, the same hands that held a gun pointed at Jules not that long ago. "I'm her…uh, friend, and I missed it."

"Sam," Greg started. But his voice quickly dropped off. For once, he wasn't sure what to say. He didn't have the words to comfort his team, especially Sam. He didn't know how to heal them of this. "Sam, I'm sorry, man."

"Yeah, me too," Sam answered back bitterly as he pulled into the SRU parking lot. "I'll catch you guys later, alright?" he said as he hopped out the vehicle and headed straight for his own. "Wait…here." He chucked his earmic at Greg. "Catch you later."

Greg watched him go, an unsettled feeling washing over him. Concern dripped off his facial features. "Hey, Ed, do you think we should go after him?" He tapped his foot against the ground. He just wasn't sure what to do, and that was confusing him.

"I don't know," Ed answered back. "I'm just pulling in now. Why? Do you think he's in too rough of a shape to be alone?"

Greg sighed. "See, that's the problem, he's just like you, just like me, hell, just like all of us! You ask him if he's okay, and he says yes, even if he isn't. Even if on the inside he's hurting really badly, he says he's okay. And now, I can't even tell how badly he's not okay."

"Boss?" Spike's voice came over the headsets. "I'll go after him. I mean, him and I are pretty tight." Pause. "Well, that's if you decide he needs someone after him."

Ed cut his engine and stepped out the black car, his eyes narrowed and face pained. "Greg, I don't think any of us should be alone right now." He tore off his earpiece. He was done with being recorded. "Sam's heading to Jules because he knows that. He knows no one should be alone. But what he doesn't realize is how alone he'll be. Sam won't even be allowed to talk to her until after they have her at least somewhat stabilized."

Before Greg could think of an answer, the other car and the mobile command truck pulled into a parking spot each. Spike was out of the truck in a flash, right beside Greg. "I'll go," he said. "What did you say after you turned off your set, Ed?"

"I said Sam shouldn't be alone."

Wordy silently opened the door to his car and swung his feet out, but he did not get out. He was too far away to actually hear the conversation, and since Ed had taken his mic off, he couldn't really make it out. He sniffled. Another lone tear slipped down his face. _Jules._

"Then that settles it." Spike headed towards the building backwards. "I'll change, then go and wait with him. He'll need someone." He tore off.

"Hey, Wordy, you okay?" Greg had looked backwards and had realized Wordy was sitting half out of his car, crying. He walked slowly over to the man and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

Wordy looked up at Greg. His eyes were red and his nose ran with the effort of not breaking out into sobs. "I have a family, Greg," he said quietly. "Jules didn't, but she was strong. Nothing could have touched her." He paused to clear his throat. "You see, Shelley's always concerned about me doing this job, that maybe one day I won't come home. That I'll die on the job." He sniffed. "How can I be concerned about dying on the job when we can't even keep our own team members safe off the job?"

Greg inhaled deeply and looked compassionately at Wordy. "I know, Kevin, I know," he said as he sat down beside Wordy's legs on the car step. "But we can keep the peace, and I know that. What happened here today is completely rare, and should have never happened."

"Darn straight it should have never happened." Wordy swung out the car door, past Greg, tears still trickling down his cheeks. "We should have protected Jules. I think we can all agree that she was the one we all had to protect."

Ed chose that moment to wander over to the car. His earpiece still dangled from the wire peeking out from his collar. He tried to lean up against the car nonchalantly, but he couldn't. He couldn't feel nonchalant without Jules here to mock him about it. "Agreed," he said. "But you know, Jules obviously had reasons for keeping it from us."

"People with mental health issues aren't allowed on the team," Greg said quietly, "but she wanted to be able to help."

"Or she wanted to keep us 'safe'." Ed wrung his hands. "Whenever she hasn't told us something before, it was so that we didn't worry, or get dangerously involved."

Wordy looked down at the ground. He knew that, but he wanted a real reason from Jules. "She's like a fourth daughter to me. How did we fail to protect her?"

Spike chose that moment to come running out of the headquarters. His breath came in short gasps, as if he'd been running the whole time. He waved to the men curtly and headed quickly to his own blue car. "I'll catch up with you guys later!"

He really didn't know if he would, though.


	7. Chapter 7

**Lookie here! I got this up before work! Score! Yes, well, you can expect the last few chapters to be posted more during the day, since camp is finishing tomorrow. **

**Yes, I added some more Spike in there. Honestly, even if this story focuses around Jules and kinda Sam, I really love Spike. SO yeah. I had to add some more Spike in here. And for those of you who really like Spike, the story I'm currently working on revolves around him. So no worries. :)**

**Thanks for reading! **

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Sam sat outside her door, head in his hands. God, he was tired. He wasn't even allowed to see Jules yet. Her doctor had said that she was being treated acutely, and that it could be a couple of hours, maybe even days, before she came out of the delusions. After that, she would have to stay in the hospital until they found the right mix of long-term drugs.

He could really use a coffee right now.

"Samtastic?"

Sam looked up quickly, his flitting eyes settling on Spike, who stood nervously across the hall from him. "Hey," he said roughly, "I thought you were headed over to the Boss's for roast."

"Yeah, not so much." Spike motioned towards a chair beside Sam. "Can I sit?"

"Sure," Sam said quietly. It was silent for a moment as Spike settled into the hard, plastic chair the hospital had so graciously provided. "What are you doing here anyways?"

Spike closed his eyes and leant up against the back of the chair. "Can't leave you alone," he said. "Like you couldn't leave Jules alone, except it could be a while before she's good enough to talk." He paused, contemplating what to say next. "No one should be alone."

Sam swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Thanks," he said finally. "It's good to have you here. I guess I do need someone."

"Of course you do, Sammy." Spike opened his eyes and looked at Sam. "We all went through something hard today, and we all need someone to be with right now." He rolled up the sleeves on his shirt. "So what did the doc say?"

"He said they were giving her something to treat the symptoms acutely, and once she stabilizes, they'll get her on some long-term drugs."

"Oh." Spike didn't really know how to reply to this. "I mean, I guess that's good, right?" he asked. "How long is it going to take for her to be stabilized enough to speak?"

"Could be as short as a few hours," Sam answered. "They have her on a cocktail of antipsychotics and tranquilizers. They said it really depends on when she stops hallucinating." He sighed deeply. "I mean, she could wake up any minute now and be fine, or, if it's really bad and she doesn't respond to the drugs, it could be a few days before anything happens."

Spike nodded slowly, once again unsure of what to say. "Sam, I…" he trailed off, then tried again. "Jules was precious to all of us. She always seemed so strong, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Guess this proves just how fragile life really is."

"Yeah, Samtastic, yeah." Spike cleared his throat. "I mean, I can't even say it could have happened to anyone, because it wasn't an accident, per say." He paused, then quickly added, "Not that I'm saying she deserved to have schizophrenia or anything."

"I get what you're saying, Spike." Sam's face melted slightly, leaving him with a numb look. "Since she already had…uh,…"

"Schizophrenia."

"Yeah, _that, _she was more prone to delusions, I guess." He sighed. "But I kind of wish she'd told me, you know?"

Spike bit his lip slightly. "Yeah. I get why she didn't want to tell us about it, because she wanted to stay on the team and all, but I kind of wish I'd known. I mean, couldn't we have helped avoid potential triggers and such?"

"I think that was half her reason for not telling us," Sam said, "because she thought we might treat her differently, and I know Jules would never stand for being treated carefully or differently." He laughed dryly. "Remember when she was in the hospital after being shot?"

Spike let out a snort. "Yeah. Of course I do." A smile lit up his face. "You brought her her slippers, trying to be nice, and she went crazy."

Sam let a small smile form on his face as well. "Or how about when Boss offered to support her when she went for a walk?" A real laugh tumbled out from his lips. "Man, she nearly ran him over with her IV pole!"

"Oh gosh, yeah." Spike turned to Sam then, his face still smiling, but his eyes sad. "What do you think will happen to her now?" He paused. "I mean, there's no way she'll be allowed back on the team. They'd consider her a huge risk."

Sam nodded slowly. "I guess, she'd have to work a desk job. I don't think they let anyone with a severe mental illness work on the actual force."

It was silent for a moment then, each man wondering about the implications of Jules having a breakdown. Spike broke the silence, his words shattering. "Jules will have to leave the SRU."

Sam couldn't handle it. He stood up suddenly, the legs of his chair scraping against the ground. "The hell are we going to be able to cope without her?" he asked, his voice becoming dangerously loud. "Damn it!" He punched the wall beside Spike's head.

Spike flinched, but didn't move. "Sam," he said quietly.

"Argh!" Sam pulled his hand away from the wall and cradled it against his chest. "Damn, that stings."

"Which is why we don't punch walls, only bad guys." Spike pulled Sam's chair back to its original position. "Sit. Punching walls is not going to help Jules."

Both men looked up as a doctor walked up to them. "It's Sam, right?" he asked, extending his hand towards the blond SRU officer. "We met briefly earlier. Sorry I had to run like that." He paused, dragging out the uncomfortable silence. "Had a…_situation _to deal with."

Sam stood up again, and took the doctor's hand, wincing as he shook it. "That's right," he said, "Sam Braddock. Are you in charge of Jules' treatment?"

"I am," he said. He then turned to Spike. "I don't think we've met. I'm Dr. Pierce. And you are…?"

"Michelangelo Scarlotti." Spike gave the man a small smile. "But you can call me Spike. I'm a friend and co-worker of Jules."

"Nice to meet you," Dr. Pierce said firmly before turning his attention back to Sam. "I'm just heading in to give Julianna another round of antipsychotics. So far, she hasn't woken up, but that's the large dose of tranquilizers we gave her. When she does wake up, the antipsychotics could have already done their acute job, and she may not be delusional anymore, but I can't promise you that." He paused. "Either way, when she becomes coherent again, it'll be tough for her."

Sam sized the doctor up. "Tough in what way?" he asked slowly.

"I looked up her medical records, and it turns out she was a frequent flier in her hometown's psychiatric hospital when she was younger," Dr. Pierce explained, "and for her to relapse years later, in front of her team mates no less, will be difficult to accept, not to mention she fired a gun at people."

"Yeah, yeah, I guess," Sam said quietly. He nodded towards the door. "Well, I guess you better give Jules her meds. The faster she's feeling better, the happier we'll all be.


	8. Chapter 8

**Look! Middle of the day upload! This has something to do with the fact I'm no longer at camp. It's sad, but at least I have time to work on my other Flashpoint story.**

**Guys, this is the second last part. Only one part left? How is that even possible? Well, thanks to you guys for all the reading and reviewing you do. It makes me very happy, very happy indeed.**

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Her head.

Oh gosh, her head.

It felt like someone had stuffed it with cotton wool, then used it for soccer practice. Not to mention her mouth was as dry as anything, and her arm was sore. Actually, everything was pretty sore.

She groaned and tried to open her eyes, but she was just too tired. Everything hurt. God, she was tired.

A voice floated in beside her, wrapped its arms around her head, but she couldn't understand it. It warbled in out and out so brightly it made her head pound even more.

Where was she?

"Julianna?"

_Julianna,_ _that's my name._ She should've respond to it, but she couldn't. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She felt someone fiddling with something on her arm. A nail biting prick.

"I'm just lowering your tranquilizers, okay, Julianna? Then we can talk."

A minute later, and the fuzziness in her head had cleared substantially, enough for her not to want to open her eyes anymore. She figured, if she was on tranquilizers, she must be back in the hospital. And she did not want to deal with that.

Of course, she couldn't remember what landed her in there, anyways. Curiosity got the better of her, and she slowly cracked one eye open, then the other. "Sam?"

"Nope, sorry. My name's Dr. Pierce. I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

A wobbly figure came slightly more into focus. Messy brown hair, glasses, a sincere smile on his round face. "Did-" She coughed, trying to clear her voice of that rusty feeling. "Why am I here? Was I hurt on a call?"

Dr. Pierce looked at her thoughtfully. "What can you tell me about what happened last, Julianna?"

She glared at him as much as she could. The drugs were still affecting her to a higher degree than she would have liked. "It's Jules, not Julianna. And I don't really know. Does it matter?" she asked. Seeing his eyebrows lift, she explained, "Well, I obviously got hurt on call, and as long as no one else is hurt, it's all good." She paused. "Unless I keep waking up, and have some kind of memory problem where I can't form new memories, because-"

Dr. Pierce laughed. "Gosh, nothing like that." His face quickly took on a serious look. "You were admitted to the ER showing acute signs of schizophrenia." He noted that all the colour drained out of Jules' face. "Luckily for you, you've only been here about three hours. We treated you acutely, and you responded well."

"No, no," Jules whispered quietly. "I-I was fine." She shook her head fervently. "I haven't had an episode in over a decade! I was fine!"

He lowered his eyes slightly. "Julianna, I'm sorry, but your medication obviously stopped working." He paused. "Now, I've told your boyfriend out there that once you were coherent he could speak with you. I assume you'd rather hear the story from him?"

"Story?" Jules closed her eyes, breathing in sharply. "Yeah, yeah, I do. Send him in." Story? And Sam knew about this? Was he there when _it _happened?

"Alright then, I will do that."

Jules lie on the bed, fighting off panic. Everybody knew now. If there was a story behind this, and Sam could tell it to her, he obviously knew. And if he knew, chances were the team knew as well. No, no, this couldn't be happening. She'd worked so hard to earn her spot, and now she was going to lose it.

"Jules?"

She looked up then. Sam stood at the door of the room, blond matted hair falling into his blue eyes. "Sam," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "Sam."

He rushed in and grabbed her hand. "Oh, Jules, I was so worried," he said, a note of relief evident in his voice. "Why-" he stopped, aware that this was not the right time to badger her about it. "Are you okay?"

"Tell me what happened," Jules said, her voice flat. "Who knows about this?"

Sam looked away from her piercing glare. "Look, Jules, I'm just glad-"

"What happened?"

Sam took a deep breath, trying not to yell at her. He just wanted her to be okay, but here she was, acting all stubborn again. "We responded to a hostage situation at your house. We were worried that was why you hadn't shown up for work. But when we got there, we found you holding two mothers and their children hostage."

Jules covered her mouth with her hand, a small gasp escaping.

"We tried everything to get you out, but you weren't responsive to anything. You tried to shoot the hostages, and you aimed at Wordy. You did shoot at me, but it hit my vest." He paused, gauging Jules' reaction to all this information. "We tried talking you down, and Ed even had to be Scorpio. But you held the gun to your head and threatened suicide. We ended up gassing you and carrying you out, where Boss managed to calm you down."

A single tear rolled down Jules' face. She couldn't believe what she'd done. She couldn't believe it had gotten this far. "And-and then what?" she asked, her voice cracking again. "You've just been here, waiting for me?"

"Yeah, I have." Sam squeezed her hand. "We didn't know what else to do, Jules," he said quietly, "we really didn't. Do you know how afraid we were?"

"Afraid?" Jules' face took on a new, unidentifiable expression. "You were afraid of _me?_"

Sam lowered his head slightly, his hand falling out of hers. "We weren't scared of you, really, but rather for you, Jules." He looked up at her again as he snatched back her hand. "You were completely untouchable. You thought we all wanted to hurt you, make you bleed, and watch you scream. We didn't know what to do. We were scared for you."

Jules held the look for a moment before tearing her eyes away from his. She fiddled with the bed covers, cold hands toying with each thin thread. "I don't know what to say," she said eventually. "I mean, what have the heads said about this?"

"Nothing yet, they probably haven't even heard yet."

"How am I going to work a desk job, Sam?" Another tear escaped. "How can I leave the SRU? I worked hard for years to get that position."

Sam nodded slowly. "Jules, I think I get why you kept this a secret from us, but at the same time, I still feel let down that you couldn't share it." He paused. "If Boss knew, you wouldn't be able to stay on the team, and if we knew, we'd probably treat you differently, without even meaning to."

"Yup, yup." Jules nodded as she swallowed thickly. "I wanted to help people so badly, and the SRU seemed like the perfect fit, except…" She trailed off.

"Except you had schizophrenia."

Jules winced at how harshly Sam said that word. _Schizophrenia. _"Yeah, that." She paused, then quickly changed the subject. "So was it just you waiting out there?"

The corners of Sam's mouth turned up slightly. "Naw, Spike's here too," he said. "Wordy, Boss and Ed all went to Boss's house for dinner, but I came here and Spike followed." He looked over his shoulder towards the door. "You want to say hi?"

Jules nodded, and Sam got up from the chair, his hand trailing out of hers. She felt cold suddenly, now that he'd left, and she wished she'd told him just to yell. Of course, she knew how ridiculous that was. You don't yell in a hospital.

Unless you were in a psychiatric hospital.

Jules had spent many long months in the one in her hometown, Medicine Hat, Alberta, when she was a teen and young adult. She could still remember hearing all the cries of her fellow inmates. She herself was known to cry out when frightened and delusional.

Now, she hadn't had an episode in years. In fact, since joining the RCMP, and then the SRU, she'd been asymptomatic. She'd almost forgotten about it. Almost. She told Sam the little blue pills she took every morning and every night were for her thyroid.

Even lying to her boyfriend daily seemed better than this.

"Hey, Jules?"

Jules looked up quickly then, her eyes registering shock. "Oh, hey, Spike," she said in a forced tone. "How's it going?"

Spike smiled at Jules. Here she was, lying in a hospital bed, and her first concern was still how he was doing. "I'm good," he said, "Worried, but good. No harm."

She nodded at him slowly, her eyes melting in his compassionate look. "I didn't shoot at you, right?" she asked slowly. "You would have been in the truck." She paused. "Oh gosh, you got in contact with Dr. Lofton, didn't you?"

He gave her a small smile. "You know me well, Jules. We did a full background check." He studied her closely. "How in the world did you manage to hide all that dirt when applying for the SRU?"

"Oh, I know people." Jules waved offhandedly. "So do I get a hug from you guys or what? Because at this rate, I won't be back in the barn for a very long time."

Spike pulled her into a bear hug, his lanky arms wrapping around her small frame. He could hear Sam sigh loudly behind him, but he ignored it. "See, you had someone good at burying before, but I'm the best computer geek out there. You promise to let us help you, and talk to us about it, then I'll burry it once again for you, okay?"

Sam looked on at the two in a mix of relief and annoyance. Why hadn't Jules asked him for a hug first? Plus, what was Spike saying to Jules?

"Promise, Spike, I really do promise."

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**One. Part. Left.**


	9. Chapter 9

**So...this is it. It's the last chapter. You don't even know how much fun I had writing this, but especially posting it and seeing what third parties think of it.**

**I want to say thank you to everyone who not only reviewed it, but also to those who just simply took time to read my hard work. It means a lot, especially when I get to hear back from you and hear what you think about it.**

**Do not fear, though, because I am in the process of writing a new Flashpoint story. My new one revolves around Spike and an OC. But like I did with this one, I want to finish it before I start posting.**

**Happy (final) reading!**

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_1 month later…_

Jules wandered into the SRU headquarters, arms wrapped tightly around her bag. The bag she hadn't carried in weeks. The bag that held her gym clothes for the gym she hadn't worked out in in weeks.

"Hey, Jules!"

Jules looked up slightly to see Winnie standing at her desk, a large small on her caramel face. "Hey, Winnie," she said, a smile breaking out on her own face. "It's good to see you."

"You too, Jules. It's been a while."

She nodded in agreement. "Too long." Walking over to the desk, Jules could see the excitement in Winnie's eyes. "I really missed this place, Winnie," she said. "You know, especially the only other source of estrogen in the whole place."

Winnie let out a tinkly laugh. "That's so true!" She reached over the desk, enveloping Jules in a big hug. "You have no idea how much these boys bug me." She pointed towards Spike who was down at knee level across the gym, gazing intently into Baby Cake's robotic eyes. "Spike was trying to bounce ideas off of me about how to best propose to Baby Cakes."

"Really?" Jules let go of Winnie. "I thought he was still courting her."

"Jules!" Spike looked up, a look of glee written all over his face. "Baby Cakes said yes! I'm getting married!" He got up and ran into the briefing room, where Jules could hear Ed, Wordy, and Greg conferencing. "I need some best men!"

Winnie gave Jules a firm look. "You better head in there and save them all from insanity." She lowered her voice. "Don't worry, everything's buried. Spike's pretty much a genius at that."

"Thanks, Winnie, will do." She headed over to the briefing room, each step echoing throughout not only the room, but her mind as well. Tap, tap, tap. She tried not to focus in on it. Tap, tap, tap. _Don't focus on the small things. Think of the big picture._

"Jules!" Ed stood up from his seat. "Would you please tell Spike that he cannot marry Baby Cakes?" He shook his head sadly. "Get a real girlfriend already."

Spike looked up at Ed, a sigh tumbling out of his lips. "Hey, Baby Cakes is a perfectly good girlfriend! She already has the x-ray vision that makes up a female, plus, she doesn't ever ask for anything in return!"

Greg just shook his head, not quite sure what to say to any of this. "Good to see you back, Jules," he said. "Think you can talk some sense into this man?" He stood up then, pushed his chair back, and swept her into a hug. "It's really good to have you back."

"Thanks, Sarge." Jules pulled away and gave him a smile. "It's really good to be back."

He gave her a once over. "No secrets?"

"No secrets," she promised. "Wouldn't do that to you guys again." She gave his arm a squeeze, then turned around to face Spike, but came face to face with Wordy instead. "Hey, Officer Wordsworth."

"Jules." He also leant in for a hug. "How you been? We've all missed your skills over here. The temp we had couldn't profile for the life of him." He pulled away slightly to get a look at her. "You look good, Jules."

She gave him a smile. "Really? Sarge allowed someone with no profiling skills to come onto the team?" She laughed slightly. "Seems like I leave and the whole team falls apart."

Spike took the opportunity to push his way in between Jules and Wordy. "Jules, Baby Cakes needs a bridesmaid." He grinned at her, the smile lighting up his boyish features. "I think you and Winnie would make beautiful bridesmaids. Do you want to do it?"

Jules just giggled and grinned back at Spike. "Spike, I think you need a real girl." Before he could object, she continued. "One that'll hug you back when you hug her."

"Okay, first of all-"

Jules lifted her eyebrow at him. "Spike, get a real girl." She patted him on the arm, and his face fell slightly, although his smile still radiated. "So, how have you been in the command truck without me there? Did you take any cat naps?"

"Haha, I wish." Spike looked at her, the same compassionate eyes from the hospital room once again piercing into her soul. "That new guy, though, really sucked. He couldn't tell the scared hostage from the aggravated suspect." A small giggle escaped his lips. "Once, he tried to get out of profiling by saying he'd love to learn tactics. He tried to use CS gas, but forgot to put on his mask, and passed out."

Ed lifted his head slightly, a smirk forming on his face. "Boy, was Greg pissed."

Greg nodded in agreement. "Jules, you should have seen it." He pursed his lips in a friendly sort of way. "Ed was more mad, though. He ended up having to carry the rookie out, fireman style."

"Really?" Jules asked, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of watching Ed carry a dumb rookie out a building. "Oh my gosh, I wish I could have seen that!" She paused, looked around at everyone, and sighed happily. "It's really good to be back, guys. I really missed you all."

Greg gave her a lopsided smile. "We really missed you too, Jules. We're all just glad you're back here." _And back here safely. _He looked around at his team, a warm feeling settling in his chest. "We're all just really glad you're okay."

Spike looked past Greg. "Guess Sam's back to being rookie."

Jules turned around. There, standing across the gym, was Sam. True, he'd visited her only yesterday when she was mentally preparing herself to get ready to go back to the SRU, but her heart still leapt. "Sam," she breathed.

His strides across the gym were almost larger than the ones he took when reaching Jules' house after the hot call. His smile shone throughout his whole face, and his heart also leapt with the idea of Jules being back on the team. With the idea of Jules being well again.

Sam wrapped his long arms around Jules, her head molding in beside his neck. "Jules," he said quietly. "You're back."

"I'm back, Sam," she said. "I'm really back."

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**Thank you, everyone! It's been great! :D**


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